A Not So Peaceful Day
by treasureplanet-gurl
Summary: Jim Hawkins has been granted some time off from his busy navy schedule and can finally kick back and relax. Wrong, Amelia and Delbert need him to look after their kids while they take a day trip. What's a twenty year old to do? Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Treasure Planet characters I refer to in this story. I do own the names for the Doppler kids, but that's really it. Trust me, I'm not getting paid.

Summary- Jim Hawkins has finally been granted some time off from his busy navy schedule and can finally kick back and relax. Wrong, Amelia and Delbert need him to look after their kids while they take a day trip together. What's a twenty-year-old to do?

Author's Note- Alright, so it's been a long time since I posted anything Treasure Planet related, mainly because I needed to flesh out some characters and come up with some better plot lines. This is the response to a challenge I posted in one of the Treasure Planet forums about writing a story about the Doppler kids or family.

The Story Begins,

James Hawkins sighed contentedly and leaned back in the wooden chair he was currently occupying. He put his arms behind his head and closed his eyes.

This was, by far, one of the best days he'd had in quite awhile.

He'd been working hard at the Interstellar Academy for the past five years and had finally graduated. Now at age twenty, he still was given much to do in regards to the navy and had only been home a handful of times since originally leaving to pursue his career.

As a reward for the numerous hours he'd spent in service to the Queen's Royal Navy, Jim had been granted a week off to spend as he pleased. And he intended to spend it well.

He could hear his mother bustling around in the kitchen, hurriedly working to serve the several guests that were currently staying at the Benbow Inn. Business had been good lately.

_Strange, I haven't seen B.E.N. yet. _Jim mused. _That crazy robot's usually here to…_

"Jimmy!" an overly loud voice called. The door to the kitchen slammed open as the words were spoken and the bronze colored robot that Jim was very familiar with came flying at him.

The twenty-year-old cadet jumped out of his chair as the metal being engulfed him in a bear hug. It had been so long since he'd seen his android friend and he had to admit that he'd missed the chaos caused by the robot. The disorder he caused was a part of Jim's life, a part that had been absent for so long.

Yes, this was his day.

The Inn's main door swung open with a small creak. The hinges really needed oiling.

Jim glanced up; about to tell whoever had walked in to close the door, the cold outside air was entering the warm room. However, the words didn't get out when he realized who was standing in the doorframe.

Dr. Delbert Doppler stood shivering, bundled up almost to the point of not being able to move. A thick, green scarf covered his nose and mouth and the huge matching mittens covering his hands made it seem amazing that he'd actually been able to grip the doorknob. Yet, despite his heavy winter attire, he was obviously freezing.

"Hey doc," Jim greeted, unable to drop the doctor's nickname.

The canid's face, or what was visible of it, seemed to brighten.

"Jim! When did you get back? How long are you staying? Could you…" his rambling was cut off by one of the Inn's patrons shouting at him to close the door. Delbert frowned, but obeyed the command.

"How impolite," he muttered.   
Delbert turned to Jim to study the young man whom had been away for quite a while. Not much had changed in his basic appearance. His brown hair was styled as it always had been, minus the ponytail of course, and his blue eyes still shone with determination. However, there was something different about the cadet's attitude and the air surrounding him. Instead of the rebellious intent that had surrounded him years ago, there was a sense of accomplishment and pride.

"Ah, Jim, is your mother around," Doppler asked through his scarf, the words coming out muffled. At Jim's puzzled look, he removed the scarf and repeated the question.

"In the kitchen," the twenty-year-old pointed behind him to the direction of the room his mother was currently inhabiting.

"I need to have a word with her," Delbert informed, setting off towards the direction Jim had indicated.

Jim watched the family friend leave and frowned slightly. What could the doctor possibly want to talk to his mom about?

B.E.N. had stayed oddly silent throughout the exchange. He just stood there, staring, looking the same way he did when his memory chip had been removed. Such wasn't the case, though, so he was probably just thinking about something off the wall.

"B.E.N.?" Jim asked a little bit uncertainly.

"You know, his life with the admiral is really quite romantic," the robot informed randomly, a dreamy look coming over his face. Jim looked confused.

"I really don't need to know about the doc's personal life."

He checked to see if the android's wires were all connected. They were. It was to remain a mystery as to why B.E.N. said some of the things he did.

Jim shook his head and sighed. He had a nagging feeling that his time off wasn't going to be as peaceful as he thought.

His thoughts were pretty much confirmed when the kitchen door opened and both Delbert and Sarah emerged with big grins gracing their features. Something was about to be sprung on him, he could tell.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Jim," Doppler said, patting Jim on the back. He put his scarf back in place and fumbled with the doorknob until the door finally opened. With a soft click, the heavy door shut and he was on his way.

Jim turned to his mom.

"What was that about?"

Sarah's grin grew bigger.

"Delbert and Amelia are going on a day trip tomorrow. Delbert said it's been a long time since they've spent some alone time together and Amelia finally has some time off so they figured that it would the perfect time to catch up."

"What about their kids?" Jim didn't like where this was going.

"Don't interrupt Jim, I'm getting to that. Delbert asked me to watch them, but I'm so busy and I really don't have the time. But, then I remembered that you also are on leave and offered that you would look after them. Amelia and Delbert will be over with the kids tomorrow morning." Sarah closed her eyes and continued smiling.

"Mom," Jim groaned. "This is the first time I've been allowed a few days off in over a year. I want to enjoy it, not baby sit." He knew he was whining, but he couldn't let this injustice continue.

"Jim, this will teach you responsibility, a very important skill. Besides, you haven't formally met the Doppler kids and they've been dying to get to know you."

A sigh was her son's response.

"Fine, fine." Jim sighed again in defeat. "How long do I have to baby sit and how much am I getting paid for it?"

"They'll be here all of tomorrow and will be staying the night. Amelia and Delbert will be back over the day after tomorrow morning to pick them up. And as for being paid, I told Delbert you'd do it for free. He is a friend of the family after all."

The twenty-year-old cadet closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. Perfect.

"Why do they need to stay the night? What could the doc and the admiral possibly be doing they can't be around to see?"

Sarah suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"Well, they're going to do, uh, adult stuff. That's all you need to know."

Something clicked in Jim's brain and he made a disgusted face.

"Bad image. How am I supposed to keep three kids entertained?"

"Four."

"What?"

"There are four kids."

"Great. What am I supposed to do with four children?"

"You're creative. I bet you'll be able to figure out loads of fun things to do."

There was a moment of tense silence between the two and then Sarah glanced around the dining room.

"I'd better get back to the kitchen."

Jim watched her leave, still in a bit of shock. This was just his luck.

_I finally get some time to myself and how do I have to spend it? Baby sitting the admiral's kids. She doesn't even like me. Perfect, just perfect. _He thought angrily.

He tried to enjoy the rest of his day, but it was impossible. Solar surfing didn't even seem as enjoyable when he knew there were four kids coming over.

During dinner, Sarah tried to cheer her son up by cooking his favorite food and engaging in conversation, but he stubbornly refused to be happy.

That night, Jim crawled into bed with a feeling of dread in his stomach. He didn't want tomorrow to come. He wished he could fast forward through the day so he wouldn't have to actually experience it. However, such a thing was impossible.

It took him seemingly hours to drift off to sleep and when he did, his dreams were of little kids screaming at him and generally being a pain. Needless to say, he didn't get much rest and morning came way too soon for his liking.

xxxxx

"Hello Delbert, Amelia. Hi kids," Sarah greeted in an overly cheery voice as she opened the door.

Jim looked up from his customary place at the back table.

_Let the torture begin_. He mused miserably.

The Doppler family stepped inside and shut the door. Like the day before, Delbert was clothed in layers upon layers, making him clumsier than usual. By contrast, Amelia wore a slimming dark blue coat with double buttons and black gloves. Even out of uniform, she managed to maintain her strict, military air. The four kids all sported coats of different styles.

"Elina, Nikki, Melody, Todd, this is Jim. Jim, meet the Doppler kids," Sarah introduced, indicating to Jim and the children in turn.

"Hi Uncle Jim," the brunette Nikki said in a bold voice.

"Hi," Jim responded tersely.

Delbert grinned broadly.

"I think you five are going to get along great. Have fun."

As the couple began to depart, Amelia turned around, her green eyes flashing with a warning.

"Mr. Hawkins, I am not sure how serious you are about this task, so let me put it in perspective. Those children are a part of Delbert and myself. If anything happens to them, I will make sure your navy career and personal life are a living hell." Her face remained straight throughout the small speech.

Jim nodded, unsure of what to say. The admiral wasn't usually that severe about things. But then again, these were her children.

Satisfied with the young man's nod, Amelia turned with her husband and led the way out.

"I'll leave you five to get acquainted," Sarah informed, hastily making her way towards the kitchen. She seemed to be spending a lot of time there lately. It was even stranger that there weren't any customers in the Inn this morning.

_It's just not a good day._ Jim decided glumly.

He turned to the kids.

"So, how old are you?"

"Five," they all answered at once. He stepped back.

_That was creepy._

The twenty-year-old took a minute to look at the children. He knew their names, descriptions, and the order in which they were born from letters his mother had sent him during his time away. Other than that, he was lost. He didn't even know their personalities.

The youngest was Todd Allen, the only boy. He resembled his father in both species and complexion. His ears even drooped the way Delbert's did and his eyes were the same dark brown. Yet, despite these similarities, he obviously wasn't his father. It was apparent that even though he had never met Jim, he admired him as his brown hair was styled the same way without the ponytail.

Next came Melody Amaya. She glanced up at him shyly as he stared at her, her blue eyes wide with innocence. Her blonde hair was brushed and neat and dropped just below her shoulders. The way she twirled a strand around her finger led Jim to believe that she was shy and uncertain. She was also a tad shorter than her siblings.

The second oldest was Nikki Ann. She appeared to be the most rebellious one of the four. Her brown eyes seemed to be filled with excitement as she stared at him. Her skin was darker than that of her sisters, giving the impression that she had received more of Delbert's genes. Layered brunette hair cascaded down her back to just above her waist.

Finally, he came to the oldest, Elina Amelia. She seemed to have a small smirk permanently plastered on her face and her green eyes were narrow, as though she were thinking about something. She seemed to resemble Amelia the most, but that was probably because her hair was the same red and went to her mid neck with slight layering bear the bottom. Her arms were crossed and she was glancing around the room in curiosity.

"Thank you for looking after us, Uncle Jim," Melody said in a soft voice, looking down at her long, green coat as she spoke.

"Don't mention it," he replied.

Four pairs of eyes gazed at him after a moment of silence. He had no idea what to do.

Author's Note- Love it, hate it? Let me know. I haven't written anything Treasure Planet in a long time, so if the characters are a little off, I apologize. I'm also open to suggestions and questions. What do you think of my Doppler kid names and descriptions? Next update will probably be in a week or two if my schoolwork doesn't inundate me. Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Treasure Planet characters I refer to in this story. If I did, I would not bother writing fan fiction, as my ideas would already be movies. I do own the Doppler kids' names and personalities and that's about it.

Author's Note- Wow! I never expected to get so many reviews on my first chapter. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. In honor of getting my driving temps yesterday, everyone who left a review can have a cookie! Here's the update I promised.

On With the Story,

Jim grinned to himself in triumph. It had taken nearly fifteen minutes of round about questioning, but he'd finally figured out what the kids needed; food. He thought it a bit odd that Amelia and Delbert hadn't fed them earlier, but decided not to question it. It had been an easy task to ask Sarah to make breakfast and the kids were now happy.

_And quiet. _ Jim added silently.

He sat back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. This baby sitting business wasn't as hard as he thought it would be.

_Maybe I should start a child sitting service. _He mused confidently.

Indeed, for the moment, everything was going well.

Nikki chatted away happily, scooping scrambled eggs into her mouth between sentences. It was obvious that she was the more outgoing of the four and wasn't afraid to talk about anything and everything. She swung her legs back and forth as she spoke, oblivious to the fact that Jim had tuned her out a while ago.

Melody ate with her head down, still too shy to say anything to Uncle Jim. She occasionally sent nervous, sidelong glances at her brother, who was eating fairly quickly and occasionally commenting on Nikki's story. A small smile graced the blond felinid's face, as though this scene repeated itself every morning.

Jim congratulated himself once more. The kids weren't complaining and seemed content.

All except for one.

The twenty-one-year-old resisted the urge to groan as he watched Elina stare at her food. The red head still wore her half smirk and glanced around every now and then. Jim wasn't sure what she was thinking about, but he had to get to the bottom of what was wrong.

_I should've known I'd have problems with this one. She's a mini version of Admiral Amelia, so of course she'd inherit all those annoying traits. _Jim complained to himself.

"Hey, what's wrong? Don't like mom's cooking?" He asked, frowning slightly.

Elina shook her head.

"I'm not hungry," she replied, her British accented voice showing little emotion.

Cadet Hawkins sighed.

_Great, the kid's anorexic. What was I told to do in this situation? Oh yeah. _

"You know, you're not overweight. You're only, what, five, so a little baby fat is natural."

The oldest Doppler girl stared at him blankly.

_Nice going, Hawkins, you probably made things worse with that last comment. _He berated himself mentally.

"Not that you have any fat. You look great," Jim quickly added.

Elina still looked confused.

Jim decided that things were rapidly going downhill. Melody and Todd had stopped eating and were staring at him. Nikki had even ceased talking. He had to cut to the chase and quick.

"Starving yourself is not the answer. If you're that concerned about your weight, get some counseling and create a healthy diet and exercise plan. You'll only hurt yourself by doing this." The young man nodded at the end of his speech to show that he meant business.

The kids looked at each other and then back at him.

_I wonder if they can read each other's minds? _Jim wondered absently. It was a scary thought, but he'd read somewhere that twins, or in this case, quadruplets had a stronger connection than most siblings.

"Uncle Jim, she isn't anores…anex…whatever you said," Todd informed, staring at Jim with confusion. The small canid wasn't sure what the word meant, but he understood the words starving, diet, and exercise.

"I'm just not hungry. We ate earlier this morning," Elina explained, her smirk still in place. It seemed as though she were taking silent amusement in Jim's blunder. Of course, that was impossible, she was too young to understand such things.

There were a few moments of awkward silence as this information was processed.

"If you already ate, then why did you want more food," Jim ground out. He was becoming frustrated with the situation and a bit embarrassed for his well thought out speech.

_And everything was going so well._

"Well, dad and mom always say that children need a lot to eat because they're still growing. So, we figured that by eating more, we'd grow up faster and please mom and dad at the same time. It's like killing two birds with one stone, if you know what I mean. I guess Elina just doesn't want to get big," Nikki said with self-confidence. She was obviously pleased with her knowledge, despite the fact that it was incorrect.

"Well, it was close enough," Todd murmured to Melody, who giggled softly and blushed.

Jim was struck silent. These kids were going to drive him insane, he knew it.

"Uncle Jim, are you alright?" Melody asked timidly.

Cadet Hawkins could only nod, not fully trusting his sanity.

xxxxx

"So, uh, what do you guys do for fun?" Jim asked as he cleared away the dirty dishes.

A half an hour had passed since he had last spoken to the kids. In this time, they had exchanged looks and finished their second breakfast.

"Normal stuff," Todd answered tersely, as though the answer should be obvious.

"And that would be…?" Jim prodded for more. As he expected, Nikki spoke up.

"You know, coloring, drawing, playing outside, reading-yes, we can read-, playing games…"

"Ok, games. What kind of games?" The twenty-one-year-old knew he shouldn't have interrupted, but he was afraid that if he hadn't, she would've gone on for hours. A couple of the pastimes seemed advanced for five-year-olds; but then again, their parents were practically geniuses.

"Tag, blind man's bluff, monopoly-that game is given such a bad rep-, tiddly winks," she stopped for a moment to add that they'd made the last one up. "Oh, and hide and seek."

"Hide and seek, you can play hide and seek," Jim decided.

"But Uncle Jim, don't you want to play too?" Todd asked.

Jim sighed.

"Sure, if it makes you happy and shuts you up, I'll play." He was glad his mother wasn't around to hear him.

Nikki frowned.

"Uncle Jim, maybe not everyone wants to play hide and seek."

"Fine is that game alright with you?"

"Yep."

"Then why complain?"

"Dad said I needed to be more considerate of others and I'm trying to, but you're making it hard."

Jim scowled at nothing in particular. He then turned to Melody.

"You wanna play anything else?" he asked.

Melody twisted a strand of hair around her finger and shook her head. She was ok with the idea of hide and seek.

"How about you?" he turned to Todd.

"No, Uncle Jim, I'm fine."

Without a word, Jim looked at Elina. He didn't feel that he needed to repeat the question. The redhead nodded once in an affirmative answer and it was set.

"So, who's it?" Todd asked.

"One, two, three, not it!" Nikki cried. Todd and Melody followed suit (even though Melody's was more of a whisper).

Jim looked at Elina, who had yet to say anything. He wasn't going to let a little kid make him be it.

"Not it." He would admit that he felt foolish saying it, but it was necessary.

"You're it, Elina," Nikki informed needlessly.

The mini Amelia shrugged and turned around. The count had begun.

Jim looked around in panic. He'd never been very good at this game and always managed to get found first.

_Hey, they're only five. They'll probably hide behind the potted plants. And there's no way they'll be very good at seeking. _He assured himself.

He had around fifty seconds to find a good hiding spot and began to rack his brain.

_Under the table? Nah, too obvious. Behind a plant? What am I, six? In the kitchen? Yeah, sure, that'll work. Just gotta hide._

Quietly, Jim tiptoed past the counting felinid and towards the kitchen. The door creaked a bit when he opened it, but he didn't think Elina had heard it. 

Warm air and scent of spices assaulted him as he stepped into the cooking room. Sarah stood in front of the stove, stirring the contents of a large pot. Jim wasn't sure what she was cooking, but it smelled good.

_Maybe I'll have some later. No! Keep your mind on the current task, Hawkins._

"Hi sweetie, how's everything going?" Sarah asked, not looking up.  
"Mom, be quiet," Jim whispered in exasperation. He desperately wanted to win the game.

"Don't tell me to be quiet James Hawkins!" At this, she turned from her cooking and placed her hands on her hips.

He hated it when she stepped into strict mother mode.

"I'm playing hide and go seek with the kids and I don't want to be found. I need a place to hide…and fast."

The stern expression left Sarah's face and was replaced with a huge grin.

"Oh, it's great that you're getting along so well. Have fun."

Jim frowned a bit at his mother's lack of help.

He looked around the room, beginning to panic.

How much time did he have left, anyway?

"Ready or not, here I come," Elina shouted from the main room, almost as if on cue.

Heart pounding, Cadet Hawkins just went towards the first thing he saw: the pantry. He knew it wasn't the best place, but it would have to suffice.

The small, closet like room was filled almost to capacity with packets and cans of food, leaving very little space for a young adult like Jim. However, despite the lack of room, he managed to find a snug little spot to settle into.

_Now all I have to do is wait until they all find each other._

He grinned at the thought of actually winning the tedious game. This was almost too easy.

His joy suddenly ceased to exist when the pantry door slowly opened. He hoped it was his mother coming in to get a forgotten ingredient.

"You aren't very good at this, are you?" a young British voice inquired from the doorway.

Jim resisted the urge to swear as he stood up and glared at the five-year-old. How had she found him so quickly?

"You're too loud," she said simply, once again shocking him.

_These kids just love to creep me out, don't they?_

"Whatever."

The redhead headed out of the kitchen and into the main room. Jim followed, feeling his cheeks get hot when he realized a five year old had found him before anyone else.

"I found Uncle Jim," the oldest Doppler kid called loudly. She looked around the empty dining room and waited until her siblings emerged from their places.

"Are you sure you've played this before, Uncle Jim?" Nikki asked with a slight frown.

Jim said nothing. The children's nickname for him was really beginning to get on his nerves.

"You're it, now," Todd said.

"Fine."

The twenty-one-year-old put a hand over his eyes and began to count to sixty. He felt like a moron standing in the middle of the room and counting like a small child.

"Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five…"

He was getting bored.

"Twenty-nine, Sixty!"

He uncovered his eyes and scanned the room. He figured the five-year-olds would be easy to find, especially since he'd cut the count short by thirty seconds.

Yet, they were no where in sight.

A frown of irritation crossed the young man's face as he proceeded to look under the table, behind the potted plants, and behind the curtains.

_Maybe this'll be harder than I originally thought._

xxxxx

Two hours later, Jim was still looking for the four Doppler kids. He hadn't seen nor heard a single one of them since he'd started counting. The annoyance he had originally felt was turning into panic.

_I've lost them. I've misplaced the admiral's children. She's going to kill me. _His mind cried.

Author's Note- Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter. I may not be able to update next week as I'm going to my grandparents' house for Thanksgiving and will have no Internet access. Happy early Thanksgiving to those in America. Now for the review responses…

Spellcaster Hikaru- Thank you for being the first reviewer. I'm glad you liked the kids' personalities and the humor (this is my first time with any kind of humor). Ah yes, Treasure Island. I've read that book about seven times and it never gets old.

Kaptain Kitty- Thanks for the review. I love the Doppler family (obviously); they're so much fun to work with because you can do whatever you please with them (until Disney says otherwise). I like Melody, too.

jla2snoopy- Thank you for reviewing. I'm glad you think it's cute. Here's your update.

Jackie99- Thank you so much for the review. Haven't seen you in a while. I hoped that quote would be remotely humorous. Hehehe, you may be on to something with the kids. I'm glad you like it so far.

Muriel Candytuft- Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you liked the kids and the quotes you mentioned. You gotta love Delbert; he's just…loveable.

xHazelEyesx- Thank you for the review. I'm pleased that you loved it. Here's the new chapter.

CrimsonCrome- Thanks for the review. I have both read and reviewed your wonderful stories. You're a great friend, too. Here is the continuation.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Treasure Planet characters I refer to in this story. If I did, I would be rich and wouldn't bother with things such as school. The Doppler kids' names and personalities do, however, belong to me.

Author's Note- Despite the holiday stress and constant schoolwork, I've managed to find some time to write this. Thank you to those who reviewed. I'm sorry to say that time did not allow me to bake cookies for you all, but you can all have a candy cane in honor of the holidays.

On With the Story,

Jim could feel his heart hammering against his chest as he raced up the stairs two at a time. His head was spinning and he felt sick to his stomach. There was no way he had lost the kids, no way.

Yet, despite his insistence on having not misplaced them, the children were no where to be seen.

_Crap! Anything could have happened to them. What if they've gotten lost? What if they're hurt? What if some old pirate kidnapped them and plans on ransoming them back to the admiral? _His eyes widened at the last possibility. _No, that can't happen. She can't find out. Still, what if…_

The attack of the "what ifs" immediately came to an end as the young man was hit with a jet of cold air.

_Cold air? The Inn's pretty insulated. Why would it be cold up here? Maybe I left the window open. _He thought.

Jim stopped for a moment.

_Wait a minute. Open window; top floor; the kids missing…oh no!_

Everything seemed to freeze. The only windows on the top floor led to the roof, and if one of the windows were open, the frigid air would be entering the house. That would mean that someone would have had to open the window, and neither he nor his mother had been upstairs since that morning. The only other someone would be one of the kids.

_Ha! Found you! _He mused triumphantly. Who cared if it had taken him over two hours to find one of the children? The point was that he had discovered one of their hiding places.

Following the steady air stream wasn't hard and he had soon traced it back to its source: one of the guest bedroom windows.

He groaned in annoyance. His mother was going to kill him for letting the window remain open. The room was freezing and some snow had blown in from the outside world, leaving rapidly melting piles on the dark wood floor. The bed's cover was rumpled, as though someone had been sitting on it.

The kids had definitely been here.

Jim leaned out the window. He was assaulted by freezing wind and snow and had to squint to see.

The tiled roof was covered in white powder, making it seem like a frozen wasteland. The single chimney had smoke practically pouring from it. There were snowflakes blowing about in the breeze. But, there were no children.

Jim frowned. They had to be here somewhere, he was sure of it.

He leaned forward a bit, hoping to get a better view. Large, white snowflakes obstructed his vision, making seeing anything impossible.

"Stupid snow!" He cried, waving an arm in front of his face. Of course, his movements did nothing to clear the snow, but they were doing something else.

Cadet Hawkins could feel his body slipping further and further out the square opening in the wall, the momentum of his erratic arm motions pulling him outside. In a vain attempt to stop his forward movement, he braced his arms against the roof and began to push backwards.

His efforts proved to be futile as his hands hit a patch of ice and he went sliding forward, completely slipping through the window.

Jim lay where he had landed for a few moments, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

_I've just fallen through a window…a stupid window. The kids are still missing and mom's going to kill me for not closing the window. Why am I even doing this? Oh, that's right, I have to baby sit those little brats. It's all their fault. _He scowled at the last thought. His instructors at the Interstellar Academy had always told him not to blame his misfortune on others.

_Still, this is definitely not my fault._

Deciding that he couldn't just lay there placing blame; he cautiously began to sit up.

So far, so good.

Then, he got to his knees. He could feel the snow shifting around him, but he ignored it.

Maybe things would turn out better than he thought.

Slowly, very slowly, Jim eased himself to his feet. He put his arms out for balance and carefully straightened his back.

The way the wind pushed against his upright body brought him back to the launch of the RLS Legacy. It had been the beginning of a life changing experience. He knew it was childish, but the breeze reminded him of that adventure.

The young man was torn from his reverie when he realized he was falling. A scream escaped his lips and he waved his arms wildly. It didn't help; the wind was too strong. With a grunt, he fell on his bottom, sending some white powder sliding off the roof.

He could picture his mother looking at the ceiling with a confused expression, trying to figure out what had caused the crash.

Jim almost laughed at the idea…almost. The reality of the situation was that he was sitting on his bum on a roof covered in snow and ice. He was freezing cold and still hadn't found those darn kids.

_My life sucks. _He thought miserably. Was there any way this could get any worse?

Yet, something was telling him that it was about to get even more unpleasant.

The feeling of the snow sliding under him confirmed the notion. He closed his eyes, knowing that there really wasn't anything he could do to stop his descent.

The white stuff flew into his face and mouth. His heart raced and his hair was blown back. He couldn't contain a shriek of terror as he went flying down the slanted roof.

_This is it; I'm going to die. What a stupid way to go. I could've died a heroic death in battle, but instead I'm going to be killed by falling off the roof. And I've lost the game of hide and go seek. _

Jim could no longer feel the solid roof underneath his rear and assumed he'd reached the end of the Inn's tiled top and was now falling through the air. He closed his eyes and waited to hit the ground and breathe what he was sure would be his last breath.

Thump!

Cadet Hawkins took in a steady breath and then let it out.

Was he still alive?

He mentally checked himself over and breathed a sigh of relief. Not only was he alive, but he was unharmed. His clothes were wet and he was freezing, but he was all right.

He sat up and scanned his surroundings. One of the Inn's large, front windows was to his left and he was surrounded by snow. He deduced that he must have fallen into one of the large piles of snow he'd shoveled off the walkway the day before. Who'd have guessed all that white stuff would be so helpful.

_I'm never going to complain about having to shovel the walkway again. _He told himself with a grin.

Jim pushed himself out of the snow pile and stretched his arms above his head. His muscles had tightened in his moments of fear and now needed loosening.

The event that had taken place only moments ago began to flash through his head and he laughed.

_I must've looked ridiculous. Good thing no one was around to see that, especially my girlfriend. What would she think?_

He then glanced to the window and stopped laughing. He was lucky that the Inn was empty, otherwise, the patrons would have had a show to accompany their meal.

The twenty-year-old made his way shakily to the door, attempting to relax his muscles. He supposed this would make a really good story some day.

The door swung open with a light creak and he stepped inside.

The first thing he did was stop dead in his tracks.

The Inn seemed to have gained a few customers since he'd been in the dining room, and all of them were staring at the window. His mother stood in the middle of the room, eyes wide, with a tray of spilled food at her feet. And, most infuriating of all, the three of the Doppler kids were standing to the side. Nikki was rambling on and on to a particularly fat alien who had all six eyes focused on the window.

"See, Melody, Uncle Jim's ok," Todd said gently, giving his sister's hand a comforting squeeze.

Sarah snapped out of her stupor and placed her hands on her hips.

"James Hawkins! What in the galaxy were you doing? You could have been killed!" She cried, her voice trembling with emotion.

"What was I doing? I was looking for those dumb kids!"

"Don't place the fault on others when you are clearly to blame. And why is it cold in here?"

"'Cause there's an open window upstairs."

"Jim, money doesn't grow on trees. Go shut the window and stop being so careless."

Jim said nothing and looked around the room.

The customers had managed to take their eyes from the glass-covered square in the wall and were now staring at him.

He felt his cheeks get hot with embarrassment. He needed to get out of there, and fast.

"Come on kids, let's go upstairs," he called, already heading towards the staircase.

"Jim, apologize to these dear children for making them watch your cry for attention. You've probably scarred them emotionally," Sarah said from the dining room.

"It's their fault this whole thing happened." He was losing his temper.

"We've been over this before. Do you want to be grounded?"

"I'm twenty! You can't ground me."

"I'm your mother. I can do whatever I want."

One of the patrons snickered.

"Fine, I'm sorry." Jim just wanted to get upstairs before anything else happened.

He could hear the kids hurrying to keep up with his quick stride, but he didn't stop. Within minutes, he arrived at the room he'd been in earlier. The window was still open and snow was still blowing in.

"You're really not very good at this," Elina said from behind him.

Jim slammed the window shut and spun around.

"I didn't ask for this. All I wanted was a nice day off and did I get it, no! Instead, I got you little monsters dumped on me. So far, I've lost the game of hide and go seek, my mom's turned against me, I've fallen off the roof and nearly died, and now you're telling me it's my fault!"

"Well, if you aren't to blame for losing the game, who is, Uncle Jim?" Nikki asked. It was a fairly innocent question, the kind a five-year-old would usually ask.

"And if you must know, we were hiding under the bed. I'm surprised you didn't find us," Elina put in, pointing at the bed. Her smirk was gone, replaced by a blank stare.

"Shut up! Just shut up! I'm losing my sanity. Don't you kids have anything better to do? Ah! I wish…I wish you'd never been born! All you've done is ruined everything!" Jim cried. He'd finally lost it.

There was a very tense silence that seemed to fill the room.

Then, he heard it. Soft sniffling sounds.

Melody had tears forming in her eyes and her small body shook with oncoming sobs. She brought a hand up to get rid of stray drop of salt water. Soon, there were more tears, too many for her to wipe away.

Todd held his sister in a protective hug, trying to calm her down. Nikki scowled up at him and Elina stared blankly, as though unable to believe that he'd just said that.

Jim's anger vanished.

_What would my instructors at the ISA say? I'm supposed to help beings, not make them cry. _He thought.

He knelt next to the blonde felinid.

"I'm sorry. Stop crying. Please stop crying."

_The Admiral's going to kill me._

"What will make you stop crying?"

"Crescentia," Elina said, her smirk falling into place once again.

"What?" Jim asked.

"We've always wanted to go to Crescentia. If you take us, she'll be too happy to even think about crying."

Jim couldn't help but think that it was only the redhead's wish to go to the spaceport. But, nonetheless, Melody had ceased crying and was now only sniffling.

"Alright, we'll go to Crescentia."

Author's Note- All right, please review and let me know what you thought. I'm open to questions and chapter ideas. I realize that in my last chapter, I said Jim was twenty-one. He's actually twenty, it was just a typing error. I shall see you all next week. Now, it's time for some review responses.

Muriel Candytuft- Thank you for the review. Elina and Melody are the most fun to write. Yes, I was really bad at hide and go seek when I was a kid, too (I was always found first, no matter what). Come to think of it, I'm still pretty bad at the game.

Kaptain Kitty- Thank you for the review. Hopefully, Jim can keep those kids under control before Amelia steppes in. I was never good at hide and go seek to begin with, but I know what you're saying. If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?

Jackie99- You are very much thanked for the review. I'm glad you like the story, it's really fun to write. I can't wait to read your story.

CrimsonCrome- Thank you for reviewing. Melody is very thoughtful and sweet. Yeah, the kids are pretty advanced for their age. But then again, many children are smarter than older people give them credit for. I can see where you're coming from, though. Hehehe, Jim makes himself miserable, doesn't he? I'm glad you like the kids and, yes, Todd is the protective brother.

Spellcaster Hikaru- I thank you for the review. I guess Jim jinxed himself with that line, didn't he? Hopefully, Jim will learn a lesson about underestimating children. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.


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